Genetically Engineered Salmon Approved in Canada

CANADA - Health Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency have approved AquAdvantage salmon for sale and consumption.

The approval came following an assessment which determined that the "... changes made to the salmon did not pose a greater risk to human health than salmon currently available on the Canadian market. In addition, Health Canada also concluded that the AquAdvantage salmon would have no impact on allergies, and that there are no differences in the nutritional value of the AquAdvantage salmon compared to other farmed salmon available for consumption ..."

Health Canada notes that the "... science behind the salmon involved the introduction of a growth hormone gene from Chinook salmon into the genome of Atlantic salmon. This results in a salmon which grows faster and reaches market size quicker. In every other way, the AquAdvantage salmon is identical to other farmed salmon ..."

AquAdvantage salmon was developed by Massachusetts-based AquaBounty Technologies.